Youth Voice, Youth Choice

Youth Voice, Youth Choice was the City of Seattle's first venture into the Participatory Budgeting (PB) process. The initiative began in July 2015 with the launch of a citywide PB process in which Seattle youth would democratically decide how to spend $700,000 of the City's budget.

The process started in January 2016 with several assemblies in which Seattle youth brainstormed ideas for projects they wanted to see in their communities. Twenty youth delegates, with help from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and other City staff, then turned those ideas into 19 concrete proposals. In May 2016, more than 3,000 youth ages 11-25 voted for their favorite projects.

The seven winning projects were:

Safe Routes to Schools Project - $45,500Improve crosswalks in areas near schools to create safer routes to school for students.

Park Bathroom Upgrades Project - $205,000Creating a map of public bathrooms in the city and implementing improvements at 1-2 bathrooms in parks in most need of repair.

Wi-Fi Hotspot Checkout - $165,000A term-limited expansion of the Seattle Public Library's checkout system to include more Wi-Fi hotspots, which increase internet access.

Top Requests

Seattle Department of Neighborhoods provides resources and opportunities for community members to build strong communities and improve their quality of life. Through our programs and services, we meet people where they are and help neighbors develop a stronger sense of place, build closer ties, and engage with their community and city government.